Synergistic Enhancement of Structural and Thermal Properties in Samaria-Doped Zirconia (ZrO2-Sm2O3)

The study investigates the structural and thermal properties of zirconia ceramics doped with Sm2O3. The powders were prepared via a mild hydrothermal synthesis route at a temperature of 200 °C, for 2 h with a pressure of 60–100 atm, starting from ZrO2-Sm2O3 compositions. Structural and physicochemical characterization was performed using XRD, SEM-EDAX, BET and FT-IR analyses after synthesis and subsequent heat treatments up to 1500 °C. The results indicate good thermal stability of the materials, while a single cubic phase is achieved after calcination at 1500 °C. The ceramics show low thermal conductivity (0.41 W·m−1·K−1), reduced heat capacity (0.26 J·g−1·K−1), and low thermal diffusivity (0.34 mm2·s−1), with all measured parameters lower than those commonly reported for conventional rare-earth-stabilized zirconia.